Inner Ramblings
by Karianasan
Summary: Now Three stories, getting in the minds and emotions of the gang. I hope you guys might like it, though it might be a bit moody.
1. Inner Ramblings

I walked here myself. Standing surrounded by items of the past that we had left behind. Photos, trophies, toys... All things that used to mean so much to us when we still came here with a passion to spend time here. Times were easier then. No worries of money... No concerns of the future. We lived for the day back then... And tomorrow was just something else to look forward to.

We used to be a team... Not that we aren't one now, but it just seemed so easy back then to fall laughing upon one another. Now things just get uncomfortable at times when we realized where we are. Things have changed so much, and yet things are still the same as they were back then. Am I the only one who thinks this way? Have the times changed and I just have not realized?

My hands drift and lay lovingly upon the items laying about our old pad. Pictures sat there, reflecting a simpler time. A simpler time that would not be repeated. We're older, and have more responsibilities now. The mysteries are still there, but it's work now, not just something we stumble upon. Am I just missing something?

Everyone seems to not notice times are changing... and things around us are changing as well. It feels like I'm stuck in one place watching everything else pass by. Is this how I was supposed to end up? Did the path choose to walk along with my friends, be the true path I was meant to travel?

Could I have been a lawyer? Maybe a military figure like my uncle...? Why did my fate end up making me walk the path of a detective? Was it the influence of the others? Or was it my fault?

Choices gone and past... Paths walked and traveled... Is this destination we are heading the right one we are meant to be on? Am I really cut out to be the one to lead them? Why did they choose me? Or was I the one to pick this role myself? How did I end up here?

A light shines behind me, illuminating my thoughts and the items around me. Voices call me back my recesses of my mind from outside. I risk a glace... Friendly, and concerned faces greet me from the light.

"I told them you would be here..." She said smartly, a sideways grin on her face, but concern in her eyes.

"We were worried. Come on." Her hands played with her hair, getting it out of her eyes so she could look at him.

"Like, come on man. Let's go home." His voice called from the van, hand waving for the other guy to come out of his refuge and get inside.

"Rah rah... come rome." The last of the group echoed everyone else, tail thumping the front seat, as he hung his head out the window.

His friends were calling. Calling for him to come home. Why argue? Everything had worked out all right so far. And if anything happens, he knows at least they'll walk that path together.

"I'm coming."


	2. Attempt At Understanding

_I made this to help a friend. I hope it works, but it was made to be Velma and Daphne. Though it should be easy to pick up.  
Toki_

* * *

"No no no! This isn't right!" 

Came a shout from the basement. If one were to go down, they would find a very flustered woman. Her short hair frazzled and hung in her face as she vented her frustrations on the table with both fists. With an annoyed growl, she shoved all the papers she was working on off the table, making them scatter about the otherwise clean floor. Pushing away from the table and her mess, the young brunette stalked off to another corner of her lab in her basement.

"Not right… Nothing is going right."

She muttered, burring her face into the sleeves of her outfit. She took off her glasses, making the world go burry, in an attempt to shut everything out. Sliding herself slowly down the wall she was leaning on, she collapsed into a crouch. Glaring into the blurriness she wanted to avoid, yet couldn't get away from. Not even being mostly blind could make her not see in her mind the problems she was up against.

The trouble was, is that no matter how hard she tried; the things she loved weren't getting the attention she wanted. Sure she got some responses back on her criminal study and her notes from work, but nothing was ever as much as she wanted. No one seemed interested in the things she liked. Some people even told her to give up on the things, and do more 'interesting' work, like genetics or cloning. But that didn't interest her.

"Why can't people like the things I like? I don't care if it is only a few people. A few are more then nothing at all."

She spoke to no one but her sleeves her face was buried in. No one knew her feelings, and she was not one to let others know when she was upset. She had already regretted yelling earlier, yet no one has come down to catch her in her frustrated state. Frankly she preferred to be alone. Alone to wallow in her unhappiness until she could calm herself down enough to make sure the others wouldn't suspect a thing when she emerged later. Later she'll be ok, later no one would have ever expected what had gone on down in the basement. Later…

"Wow…. What happened down here?"

A voice said from the stairs. _Shoot! _Her perfect plan was messed up by one of the other people in the household. Stepping into the basement was her best friend, a Red head with a loud opinion. Hands on her hips, she surveyed the damage of the basement floor. The young brunette had just enough time to put on her glasses to notice her friend going towards her mess. Her papers! Darting from her crouched position, she dashed over to start cleaning up the papers.

"I…I slipped, and the papers got a bit scattered… Genius, aren't I?"

She said in her usual sarcastic tone, trying to fool the older girl. But the raised eyebrow glaring over at her knew her excuse attempt wasn't working. Lowering her eyes, she continued to pick up the papers in silence, trying not to look at her best friend. The Red head could wait all day if she needed, but she wasn't going to let this go un-addressed. Once the papers were clean and off the floor, the younger girl places the papers in a neat pile and started to adjust them all the more straighter… Trying to avoid what she knew was inevitable.

"So are we just going to stand here all day in silence? Or are you going to spit it out." The older girl said to the younger one's back. "I can stand here all day if I need."

And she was right, the Irish blood in her made her best friend quite stubborn when she wanted to be, and solid in her commitments. Her tone was sharp, to get the point across, but her eyes showed that she was trying to be there for her friend. With a sigh, the brunette settled into a chair behind her.

"You know how I have been doing those thesis papers and sending them into being read."

"Yeah."

"Well I haven't gotten anything back from them."

"Well, maybe they are still reading them? Maybe they haven't gotten around to reading it?"

"If they haven't read them already, I doubt they will read them now. There is always thesis being sent to them, and if mine hasn't been read already, I doubt no one will read it at all."

"You don't know that, maybe they are busy right now, and haven't gotten around to reading it. You can't just assume."

"Well, even if they have read it, I have not gotten any feedback on it."

"What about that letter you received, from that guy in the science academy. Um… What was his name?"

"Norbert."

"Yeah. Norbert. What about him? Didn't he respond to one of you thesis?"

"Just writing, 'wow great job.' or 'I really liked it.' Isn't enough! I want to know what people think, not if they liked it or not. They could even not like it, but made a reasonable comment, I would still be happy. Rather then 'It was interesting'. What made it interesting? What parts did they like or not… I am not happy with just getting little or no response. Well, some response is better then none."

The young girl sighed, sinking herself lower into her chair. She was frustrated, depressed, sad and angry at the same time. She worked hard on all her work, yet no one seemed to care. Coming up behind her, the older girl placed her arms around the younger girls neck, giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But maybe you should stop doing things for other people, and do them for yourself. Maybe you should find what you are looking for, and maybe ask questions at the end of things. Provoke a response if just waiting for one isn't working for you."

The older girl placed her chin on her upper arm as the rest of her arm was still around the younger girls neck in a hug.

"Give people a chance as well, they might be shy or not know the right things to say. Trying not to insult you, yet end up doing so by being silent. Some people might not be good with words as you are you know."

She said well naturedly, giving the younger girl a shove as she slipped from around her neck to stand behind her. The red head went to kneel in front of the brunette, taking her hands in her own.

"Maybe you need a break. Take some time off and do things only because you want to do them. Maybe forcing yourself is sapping you dry. Follow your heart, and do what you think you should do. Let the rest of us deal with your decision."

The older girl smiled, getting up. She placed on hand on the younger girls shoulder and patted it.

"I believe you'll do what you need to. And I'll be there to see what happens."

A few more pats to the younger girls shoulder, she turned and made for the door to the upstairs.

"Good luck."

With a wave of her hand, she left everyone in the hands of the young girl. It was her decision on what she was going to do with the advice that the older girl had given. Whither she listened to her, or ignored her words. The older girl didn't care as long as the younger one was happy with her decision.

The younger girl watched though her thick glasses as her best friend retreated upstairs. She had a lot to think about. Shifting her spot in her seat, she looked to the ceiling.

"What do I want to do?"

"What I want…."


	3. Masked

Another set of ramblings. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

If eyes are the window to the soul, then what does it mean when someone shades them… Does that mean it's harder for someone to look beyond into the true nature of a person? Or are things only different in the mind of the one trying to hide?

Things seemed quiet for the little house in Coolsville, the guys had gone out to go see a friend, which left the two ladies home alone. They had been doing separate things for a while, till Daphne had gotten lonely and sought out her shorter companion. With the upstairs and downstairs unoccupied, the only logical place to find Velma was in the basement. Where her lab resided, which she could be found most of the time.

Clattering down the stairs so that Velma might know she was coming, Daphne tromped down the stairs till she reached the bottom. Pushing the door open she came across a sight she didn't expect. Locking her view ahead, she took a step back and grabbed the nearby broom that had been sitting there and held it defensively in front of her.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?!"

Standing before her was someone in a mask. In all the years she had hunted down villains and such, one somehow managed to get into their house and had gotten Velma. Broom in hand, Daphne was ready to take the guy or girl on. No matter what, this villain was not getting past her.

"Whoa whoa… Daphne calm down, it's just me."

The masked figure waved their hands in front of themselves in a defensive posture. The voice was that of Velma and she seemed to be the one wearing the mask. It should have been obvious that it was her all along, seeing as she was still wearing her same sweater and skirt, but it was second nature to react when a mask was in sight. Halloween was sometimes a taxing event with all the masks around, especially after one crazy case that took place some years before on the same date.

Putting the broom down, Daphne wandered into the room confused since Velma had not yet explained why she was wearing the mask. But it was an odd thing for Velma to do out of the blue. Seeing her friend's puzzled look, she then pulled off the mask with some effort. Gasping for fresh air, she felt relieved to be out from the confined space.

"I was trying to figure out why they always wear masks… Year after year… We keep finding people wearing masks and eventually it got me thinking about why. What could the mask hide that we don't know? Why do they always hide behind one of these things?"

She looked at the rubber mask that she held aloft in one hand. It was a decent mask, professionally made and it had a realistic quality to it, with the right conditions. But once behind the mask it was another story.

"… It's odd really. It's like you are yourself, and yet something else entirely. As if hiding in plain sight, and seeing the world past another set of eyes. That once the mask is on, there is a sense of security behind it. Even though you still are yourself even with the mask on."

Daphne looked on as her fellow detective analyzed the mask before her. Velma was in one of her moods where she wanted to know everything, but seemed to only find more questions, rather then answers. It was an annoying state to be in, since you only found more things to ponder rather then the relief of the solutions.

"I wonder if they had a sense of power… when they put on the mask."

Velma cradled the mask like the skull in Hamlet. Her eyes roaming over it, as if just by looking she could find what answers it had. The information the rubber held within that shape. Though that was clearly not the case for Velma since she was not able to find what she sought within the appearance of the latex mask before her.

"…Like you could get away with anything, as long as you were able to hide what you look like to everyone else… The real truth that lays hidden. That changing the outside, would fool those looking for what was really inside."

Shaking her head, Daphne knew that it was better to drag her friend out now, before she lost herself to it. Submerged into the voids of what if's and who done it's. Moving beside the younger girl, she plucked the mask out of her hand. Tumbling it between her hands till the opening was facing her, she placed just the rim upon her head.

"Well I see a poor idea for a hat… and a shoddy fourth place entrée for a Halloween contest. Come on, let's get something to eat."

Wrapping her arm around Velma, Daphne moved her towards the door to the stairs. Velma took little to urgings, since her ponderings had kept her occupied and she was due for something to eat anyway. But Velma didn't seem satisfied enough, so Daphne had to put her wandering thoughts to rest.

"Hiding intentions or not, it's people like us who make sure who's going to be winning a costume contest… and who should be behind bars. Just because the outside is different, doesn't mean you can't find out what is really going on inside. Mask or not. So come on…. I'll race you to the kitchen. Loser has to do the dishes!"

Velma was about to object when Daphne cut her off.

"… ReadysetGO!"

Dashing up the stairs, the redhead tossed the mask behind her as the shorter girl dodged out of the way to run her friend down. As they raced for the prize, the mask found itself upon the floor discarded.

* * *

"No mask like open truth to cover lies,  
As to go naked is the best disguise."  
William Congreve


End file.
